In the crucial time of the pandemic, we are all suffering from, some touristic destinations have made improvements to reduce the damage it is costing us. Montserrat’s Tourism Division is applying development that will be focusing on rural tourism initiatives. Highlighting the debut of a Volcano Interpretive Centre will provide a collaboration experience documenting the 1995 and 1997 Soufriere Hills Volcano outbursts.
Based on the trending news, this Interpretive Center will be scheduled to open in the first quarter of the 2021/2022 financial year. Warren Solomon, the director of tourism, mentioned in a statement on Monday that the project is aiming to include employment chances in the planning and construction stage while presenting a range of services that will provide improved amenities and facilities for the visitors of Montserrat.
Other Tourism Division projects include the enhancement of the island’s hiking trails and beach facilities and the launch of training programs to “ensure the human resource component of the tourism product is kept up to date with the latest trends,” Solomon said, “and can deliver quality service in the new environment in which we find ourselves.”
Adding up to this program, Montserrat will also present a new destination website offering new information on the most visited and popular attractions plus files on tourism services that the communities across the island could provide. The mentioned website will introduce a section on the country’s national hero and artist Alphonsus ‘Arrow’ Cassell, producer of the hit, “Hot! Hot! Hot!”
Montserrat, like many other Caribbean nations, had plans for strong visitor growth in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic. Solomon stated that this outbreak “wiped out” a potential of about $9.9 million contributions. “We are an island that withstood the wrath of volcanic eruptions in 1995 and 1997,” said Solomon. These outbursts rendered two-thirds of the island uninhabitable and so they are the cause of the mass migration of over 60 percent of the population.
Building up such a center not only will help out the tourism economy, but also will add up to some features one destination should have. Other sites should consider making improvements like that while there is no fixed date on when this pandemic will end.